HCM CITY (VNS)— A seminar in HCM City on Thursday focusing on the late author Son Nam's career attracted dozens of cultural researchers and writers.

Organised by the city's Tre (Youth) Publishing House in co-operation with Tuoi Tre (The Youth) newspaper, the seminar marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Nam's most famous novel, Huong Rung Ca Mau (The Scent of Forests in Ca Mau).

Born in 1926 in Kien Giang Province, the author studied in Can Tho City and then took part in the resistance war against French colonialism.

After the Geneva Agreement in 1954, he moved to Sai Gon (now HCM City) to write books and articles for local newspapers.

His prolific output includes 60 books, more than 400 short stories and dozens of works of fiction that highlight the history, culture and lifestyle of the region. Readers call him "a live dictionary on the South" in tribute to his scholarly knowledge about the area.

Nam passed away after a stroke in HCM City in 2008. — VNS